Could Superman Be Jewish?
One of my favorite magazines recently ran an article discussing Superheroes and the Bible. (Biblical Archeology Review Fall 2020 by Nicholaus Pumphrey) Pumphrey notes similarities between Sampson and Superman, Jesus and Superman, and even Moses and Superman. It’s a fun read. Who knew there was so much scholarship about Superheroes and faith?
Pumphrey points out that Superman was created in 1938 by two sons of Jewish immigrants. Superman’s story bears remarkable inference of Jewish influence from his real name (Kal-el) to the fact that he is set afloat like Moses to become a savior of sorts.
So what? Looking for a story to write? What is the faith of a superhero? Is he/she so god-like that they have no faith or are they so aware of their physical gifts that they continually give thanks when they use them? Batman is self-made. Does he have the same take on his gifts as Superman or Spiderman?
Spiderman comes on his gifts as a teen like David. Does that influence his outlook?
Now…how do you make that into a story? Try Stephen King’s trick: insert something unusual into a “normal” situation. (Think of King’s Sun Dog: an instant camera starts taking photos no one has shot.) Is Superman really a fallen angel trying to earn his way back to God’s favor? Is Superman’s Fortress of Solitude really the beginnings (or a copy) of the temple of Revelations? Does an angel visit Spiderman and tell him to “desist saving people because their fate is the plan of God?” How do the Avengers react to the vials of the Apocalypse?
Certainly there are copyright issues here if you use actual Marvel or DC superheroes, but there is grist for some stories to make one examine faith. The idea that Superman is actually Jewish is just too fun to leave alone. I’m guessing he was circumcised before he left Krypton.
By the way: Biblical Archeology Review is a non-denominational/secular discussion of archeology and related topics in the Holy Lands. It is a marvelous companion to studying and understanding not only the Bible but the cultures, past and present, that inhabit those lands.
